Father Figure
by Boo2020
Summary: With Father's Day coming up, Pearl finds Trucy making a card for Phoenix, and after admitting she doesn't have a father of her own, the two girls wonder whether or not Phoenix can be Pearl's daddy too. After talking it out with Maya, they both decide to get Phoenix something for Father's Day to show him what he means to them.


**A/N: A little early for actual Father's Day, but I wanted to get this out! This fic takes place within the first year Phoenix has Trucy. Written for a request on Tumblr.**

* * *

"What are you doing, Trucy?"

Trucy peered up at her friend. "I'm making my Daddy a card for Father's Day."

Pearl tilted her head to look down at the drawing on the paper Trucy had in front of her. It was better than anything she could do, at least the people in the drawing were recognizable as Trucy and Phoenix.

"What's Father's Day for?" Pearl asked.

Trucy gave her a look. "You know, it's when you tell your daddy how much you love him for taking care of you and being nice."

"Oh."

"What? You've never given your daddy a card on Father's Day?" Trucy asked.

Pearl shook her head. "No. I don't have a daddy," she murmured, slightly embarrassed at having to admit it.

Trucy stared at her for a second before looking back down at her drawing. "Oh…" She seemed to think for a minute, then looked back up at Pearl, beaming. "Well, you've known my daddy longer than I have! Can't he be your daddy, too?"

Pearl bit her thumb. "I don't know. Mystic Maya told me that Mr. Nick 'adopted' you, and that's why he's your daddy. He's never _adopted_ me, so I don't think he can be my daddy, too."

Trucy put her finger to her forehead to think. "Maybe we should ask Miss Maya?"

Pearl clapped her hands together. "Yes! Mystic Maya knows everything!"

Trucy began to fold up her drawing. She slipped it between the pages of a book on her desk and left it there. "You go get Miss Maya and bring her up here."

Pearl nodded, and headed downstairs to find Maya.

* * *

She found Maya in the office downstairs, sitting across from Phoenix at his desk. She had a paper in her hand and was reading it over as Phoenix sat staring at his computer screen.

"Your resume is so bare, Nick," Maya said.

Phoenix groaned. "I know, I know. Aside from retail when I was a teenager I've only _ever_ been a lawyer. I don't have a lot to add to it."

"You're going to end up working retail again at this rate," Maya murmured.

"Mystic Maya?" Pearl called from the doorway, interrupting the two of them. Lately Phoenix and Maya spent a lot of time at his desk, talking about resumes (whatever those were) and didn't like to be interrupted, but this was important.

Maya turned. Phoenix looked up from his computer, but said nothing. "Yeah, Pearly?"

Pearl gestured for her to come. "Can you come upstairs for a minute?"

Maya turned back to Phoenix, who shrugged. Maya set her paper down on the desk and got up, smoothing out her robes as she walked over to Pearl.

"What's up, Pearly?"

Pearl looked back at Phoenix, then up at Maya. "Come upstairs. Me and Trucy wanted to ask you something."

Maya furrowed her eyebrows, but followed Pearl upstairs without question.

Pearl led her to Trucy's bedroom and closed the door behind her. She didn't really know why, but for some reason she didn't want Phoenix to overhear them.

Maya sat down on the edge of Trucy's bed and looked back and forth between the two girls. They were getting a bit older, and now that Pearl had a friend her own age, Maya knew they were liable to start discussing things like boys and would end up having questions eventually. She'd resigned herself to the fact that she was going to be the one they came to about things like that, seeing as she was the closest older woman in both of their lives.

By the looks on the two girls' faces, she was bracing herself for an awkward conversation.

"Miss Maya," Trucy started, playing with the corner of one of her books as she sat at her desk. "Can my daddy also be Pearl's daddy, even if he never 'adopted' her?"

Maya blinked. Out of everything they could have asked her, that wasn't something she would have guessed. Trucy continued. "Pearl said she doesn't have a daddy, but she's known _my_ daddy longer than I have, so can't he also be her daddy? Then we'd be sisters!"

Maya took a deep breath. How to explain this…?

Pearl said nothing, just stared at the floor, and Maya got the feeling she was embarrassed at asking something like this. It wouldn't be surprising if she thought of Phoenix as a father figure, even if she wasn't aware of it or what that meant. Maya had never really thought of that before, but he _was_ the only male role model she had in her life, so it made sense.

Maya smiled and patted the bed beside her. "Come here, Pearly." Pearl walked across the room to sit beside her. "Pearly, Nick might not be your dad the way he is Trucy's, but have you ever heard the term 'father figure'?"

Pearl shook her head. "No, what does that mean?"

"It's when you don't have a real daddy, but you _do_ have another person who's just as important to you, and who you love just as much as if he _were_ your real daddy. Is that how you feel about Nick?"

Pearl shrugged. "I do love him," she admitted. "Not the same way you do though, Mystic Maya," she clarified. Maya had to resist the burning of her cheeks at that comment. Luckily Pearl continued. "I love him the same way I love you!"

"Like he's your family, right?"

Pearl nodded. "Yeah!"

Maya smiled. "That's all that matters, then," she said. "Pearly, Nick isn't your daddy. But… he's still your family, and he still loves you. He loves you both."

"Really?"

Maya nodded. "Of course."

Trucy grinned. "If my daddy loves you as much as he loves me, then you really are like my sister, Pearl."

Pearl smiled, clearly happy with the thought.

"What were you guys talking about to make you ask me something like this, anyway?" Maya asked.

Trucy turned to pull the picture she was drawing out from between her book pages. "I was drawing Daddy a Father's Day card. My teacher at school told us that it was coming up and that we should make something for our dads."

Maya held out her hand for the drawing, and looked it over when Trucy handed it to her. "It looks awesome, Trucy. Nick will love it for sure. Did you want to draw something for him, Pearly? Is that why you were asking?"

Pearl nodded. "But I can't draw as good as Trucy."

Maya sighed. "Okay, tell you what. You both draw Nick something, whether you think it's good or not," she said, before Pearl could interrupt her. "Then later I'll take you both to the store so you can each buy him a present."

Their faces lit up at that, suddenly excited at the prospect of shopping. Trucy immediately got out some paper for Pearl to use to draw her card with. Maya stood up from the bed. "Think about what you want to get him while you're finishing your cards. Come get me when you're done and we'll go out to the store."

"Okay, Mystic Maya," Pearl said, already grabbing some pencil crayons.

Maya made her way back downstairs. Phoenix looked up at her as she entered the office. "What did they want?" he asked.

Maya shrugged, sitting back down across from him. "Girl stuff, Nick, jeez."

* * *

Around an hour later, Trucy and Pearl had finished their pictures and made their way downstairs. Phoenix and Maya had moved from the desk to the couch and were seated close together, talking quietly. The two girls giggled and looked at each other, always happy to see their guardians enjoying each other's company.

At the sound of the girls' giggles, Maya turned to see them standing in the doorway.

"Mystic Maya, we're finished…" Pearl said, glancing shyly at Phoenix.

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "What were you two doing?"

"Nothing!" Trucy interrupted.

Maya sighed. "I told them I'd take them out for ice cream if they cleaned up Trucy's room. It was a bit of a mess when I went up there to talk earlier."

Pearl and Trucy both attempted not to smile at Maya's easy lie. Phoenix ran a hand through his hair. "Ice cream sounds good right about now."

"Sorry, Nick," Maya said, already getting up. "Only girls allowed this time. Besides, you need to keep sending in those applications."

Phoenix groaned. "I thought we were done job searching for the day."

Maya put her hands on her hips. "We're not done job searching until you _have_ a job. This was just a break. So get back on that computer, mister."

Phoenix smiled up at her. "Yes ma'am. Do you need money?"

"No, it'll be my treat today. Are you girls ready?" Maya said, turning to them and winking once her back was turned to Phoenix.

They both nodded excitedly and headed towards the door to get their shoes on. Maya started to walk away when she felt Phoenix's hand grip hers. She looked back at him curiously.

"Thanks, Maya," he said quietly.

"For what?"

He shrugged. "For talking to Trucy about girl stuff…"

Maya snickered. "No problem, Nick. We'll be back soon."

He nodded. "Have fun."

* * *

"So, did you girls decide what to get Nick yet?" Maya asked as they walked down the sidewalk to the nearest department store.

"A shaving kit!" Trucy burst out.

Maya laughed. "Ah, you're not a fan of the stubble either, huh?"

"It makes him look old," Trucy said, wriggling her nose. "Besides, you said my daddy is applying to jobs since he got fired from being a lawyer, right? He needs to look good if he wants to get a good job."

"Makes sense to me," Maya said. "What about you, Pearly?"

Pearl shrugged. "Can we go to a bookstore maybe?"

Maya raised her eyebrows, but didn't ask anymore. It seemed Pearl had some sort of idea for her gift. "Sure, Pearly. I'm sure there's one around somewhere."

It didn't take long to find a good shaving kit at the department store, and on their way to the cash registers Trucy found mug that had #1 Dad written on it, and couldn't resist. Maya allowed her to get both gifts as neither of them were too expensive.

Once Trucy proudly had her gifts in a plastic bag that she carried on her own, they all set out for the bookstore. Maya wasn't sure what sort of book Pearl was thinking of getting him. Phoenix did read a lot, he was the type of person to read rather than watch TV or play on his phone, but Pearl wouldn't have any idea of the types of books he'd like.

Still, Pearl seemed determined, so when they finally reached the closest bookstore, Maya let her lead on.

She and Trucy followed Pearl to the other side of the store, away from all the fiction and non-fiction to an area filled with blank notebooks. Pearl stopped in front of them and stared up at the shelf.

"You're going to get him a notebook, Pearly?" Maya asked.

Pearl nodded and pointed at a shelf above her. "One of those nice leather ones, Mystic Maya! And I'm going to write him a note in the front of it."

Maya reached up to grab one of the books. It was bound in genuine leather and when Maya opened it to check the price, her eyes almost bulged out of her head. It was expensive, but looking down at Pearl's face, she couldn't say no. Luckily she had access to the Kurain Master's bank account nowadays.

"Is this the one you want?" she asked, handing it down so Pearl could look at it.

Pearl took it in her hands and opened it up to inspect the paper inside. "Yeah, this one is nice, right, Mystic Maya?"

"Daddy _has_ been writing stuff down an awful lot lately," Trucy said.

Maya knew what she meant, even if the two younger girls weren't aware. Along with looking for a new job, since being disbarred Phoenix had been investigating his own downfall, trying to figure out the mystery behind the forged diary page that cost him his job. He would handwrite notes an awful lot, and even when he had still been a lawyer he would write notes all over loose paper and fill binders with sheets of handwritten notes for his trials. Perhaps Pearl had picked up on that.

Maya took the notebook back from her. "Okay, Pearly. I'll go pay for this and then we can get some wrapping paper or gift bags, and we'll be done."

Pearl nodded. "Okay, Mystic Maya."

At the end of their shopping spree, Maya really did take the girls to get ice cream, and when they finally arrived back at the office that evening, Maya went in first to distract Phoenix while Trucy and Pearl hurried upstairs with their bags of gifts.

Later that night, when Phoenix had gone out to grab them all dinner, Maya helped the girls wrap their gifts and sign their cards. She also helped Pearl write her note in the front of the notebook, and then they hid everything in the back of Trucy's closet.

Father's Day was still a week away, so before leaving the next day, Maya made sure to make plans with Phoenix for the following weekend. Her and Pearl visited almost every week anyway, so it didn't seem out of the usual.

* * *

The week passed by uneventfully, but as the weekend drew closer it seemed to Maya that Pearl was getting more and more nervous about her gift. Her suspicions were confirmed when they were on the train on their way back into the city the day of Father's Day.

"Mystic Maya?"

"Yeah, Pearly?"

"Do you really think Mr. Nick will want my gift?"

Maya looked down at her. "Of course. Why wouldn't he?"

"He's not my real daddy."

"Pearly. I already told you—"

"Plus," Pearl interrupted, "he's Trucy's new daddy, and I don't want her to think I'm trying to steal Mr. Nick from her."

"Pearly… I'm sure Trucy doesn't feel that way. She was excited for you, right?"

"I guess so."

"You and Trucy both picked out really thoughtful gifts and Nick will be really happy to know what he means to you," Maya assured her. "Don't be nervous about letting him know."

"I'm not nervous!" she said, crossing her arms.

"Good. If you're really worried about stealing Trucy's thunder, let her go first. Then you can give your gift to Nick after."

Pearl nodded. "Okay."

Phoenix and Trucy were at the platform to greet Maya and Pearl when they arrived at the train station. They were planning on getting dinner together before heading back to the office, and the girls had already decided to give Phoenix their gifts once they were back at the office afterwards.

They went to a more fancy than normal restaurant where Maya insisted on paying. Phoenix was quite shocked, and didn't seem to remember at all what the particular day was. It made sense that he wouldn't be thinking about it. He was a new dad and had never celebrated Father's Day before.

Of course Pearl and Trucy had no money, but Maya didn't see how it was fair for Phoenix to pay for everyone's meals on his first Father's Day, even if he currently didn't remember about it. Maya had to thank him as well, after all. He'd always been there for Pearl when she needed him, and it was something Maya would be eternally grateful to him for.

When they arrived back at the apartment, Trucy and Pearl headed upstairs under the guise of going to play in Trucy's room. Phoenix flopped into the office couch, looking tired but content. It seemed his disbarment and having to search for a new job was making him feel even more exhausted than when he'd been a lawyer.

Maya sat down beside him, waiting for the girls to get back. He lifted his arm to rest it on the couch behind her. "Hey, Maya? Thanks for paying for dinner tonight. You don't have to do that, you know. I'm unemployed but I do have _some_ savings from when I was a lawyer. I haven't run out just yet."

Maya pushed her shoulder against his. "Don't get used to it. Today was just a special occasion."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? What's the occasion?"

At that, Trucy burst into the room. "Happy Father's Day, Daddy!"

She ran towards the couch and jumped into Phoenix's lap, all while holding her gift bag, filled with her presents and the card she'd drawn. Phoenix looked flabbergasted. He'd really had no idea.

"Truce," he said, grabbing her by the waist and situating her better on his lap. "What? I wasn't expecting this."

She grinned and held her gift bag out to him. He took it, all smiles. Maya noted how Pearl had stayed back, near the doorway. Maya gestured for her to come forward too.

Pearl entered the room with her own gift bag in hand, and Phoenix looked up, seemingly even more surprised that Pearl had something for him too.

"Open Trucy's first, Mr. Nick," she mumbled shyly.

He smiled at her. "Okay, Pearls."

Trucy moved to sit on the couch between Maya and Phoenix as Phoenix went about pulling out tissue paper and finding Trucy's card. On the front she'd drawn herself together with him, in front of the office doorway. On the inside she'd written a short inscription.

 _Thank you for becoming my Daddy. I love you!_

He wrapped an arm around her to hug her to his side. "Thank you, Trucy. I'm glad I got to become your dad, too."

She beamed up at him. "You're welcome, Daddy. Now open your presents."

He pulled the rest of the tissue paper out of the bag. "A new mug, and…" he raised an eyebrow. "A shaving kit? Has Maya been talking to you about how much she hates me growing a beard now that I don't have to look nice for my job?"

" _No_ , Nick," Maya said. "Your daughter figured out all on her own that you look like a scruffy old man when you don't shave."

"Yeah, Daddy!" Trucy said. "You need to look good for your job interviews, right?"

Phoenix sighed, rolling his eyes dramatically. "I guess you're right. I'll put them both to good use, thank you."

She nodded. "You're welcome, Daddy! Now open Pearl's!"

He looked over at Pearl, who held her gift bag out shyly to him.

"Happy Father's Day, Mr. Nick."

Phoenix snuck a glance at Maya, who smiled at him. He turned back to Pearl. "Pearls, you don't have to stand way over there. Come sit beside Trucy."

Trucy moved over some, and Pearl made her way over and hopped up onto the couch between her and Phoenix. Pearl was quiet as Phoenix opened the gift from her, pulling out her card first. It wasn't as well done as Trucy's, but it was still unique in that Pearl way she had whenever she did art. On her card, she'd included herself, Maya, and Trucy with Phoenix standing behind all three of them, in front of a generic looking house. It wasn't Fey Manor or the office, that he could tell anyway. The inscription inside the card was simple:

 _Happy Father's Day, Mr. Nick._

 _Love, Pearls_

The writing was neat, and Phoenix could only assume that Maya had written it for her. It was still sweet, so he reached over to squeeze her knee. "Thank you, Pearls. I'll open the gift now, okay?"

She nodded, still keeping quiet.

He pulled the blue tissue paper out of the gift bag Pearl had given him, only to find a rectangular something also wrapped in blue tissue paper inside. He unwrapped it, finding a leather-bound notebook beneath the paper.

He glanced across the two girls' heads to look at Maya. Maya simply smiled again.

"It's really nice, Pearls," he said. "I've needed a new notebook."

"There's a note inside, Mr. Nick," Pearl said, her voice still quiet.

He opened the notebook to the first page. There was a handwritten note, this time in Pearl's messy writing. Maya had clearly helped her with the spelling, but the writing was all hers.

 _Dear Mr. Nick,_

 _Happy Father's Day. Thank you for always being there for me and Mystic Maya, and for Trucy, too! You might not be my real daddy but Mystic Maya told me what a father figure is, and I think that's you._

 _I love you!_

 _Pearls_

Phoenix smiled as he read the short note. He had to blink a few times to make sure he didn't cry in front of all of the girls. He hadn't been expecting anything, he hadn't even remembered about today being Father's Day, so he was beyond touched that both girls thought of him and had thought of such nice gifts and cards. He didn't think he'd ever be good enough for either of them, but he was sure going to try.

"Thank you, girls," he said. "This stuff is… really special. _You're_ both really special."

He wrapped an arm around Pearl's small shoulders and gestured for Trucy to come closer. Trucy jumped up and stepped over Pearl to crawl into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I love both of you, you know," he said. "You both mean _so_ much to me. I'm honoured to be your dad, Trucy, and Pearls, I'm just as honoured that you think of me as a father figure. It means a lot. Thank you."

Both girls smiled, clearly happy with themselves.

Maya took the two gift bags and set everything on the coffee table in front of them before any of it could be knocked to the floor.

"Hey, Maya?" Phoenix said.

"Yeah?"

"Can you put those cards up somewhere in the office? Maybe on my desk? I want all my clients to see them."

Maya smiled and reached for the two cards again. "Of course."

She got up and headed over to the desk while Trucy pulled on Phoenix's neck. "Truce, I can barely breathe."

Trucy only laughed, and Phoenix looked at her with fake disapproval. "You think it's funny to choke your father?"

Trucy grinned, and by this time Pearl had also started to laugh, in a much less shy mood now that the gift giving was over and she knew that Phoenix liked his present.

"Okay, you know what?" Phoenix said, grabbing Trucy around the waist and standing up, hoisting her in his arm easily. He grabbed a giggling Pearl next.

When Maya turned back from setting the cards neatly on Phoenix's desk, she was greeted by the sight of Phoenix standing in the middle of the room, with a little girl swinging from each arm. She stood by the door to observe their shenanigans as Pearl and Trucy shrieked with laughter.

When Phoenix first told her that he was going to adopt Trucy, Maya thought it was a bad idea. He was only 26, with no job or income or significant other to help care for a little girl. She always knew he would be a good dad, since his interactions with Pearl always indicated so, but the timing had been all wrong.

She'd never been more happy to be wrong about something in her life. Trucy deserved a father like Phoenix, and she deserved a friend like Pearl. She needed a family, even if the one she was thrust into was rather unorthodox and the furthest thing from a regular nuclear family there could be.

The timing hadn't been wrong at all. It had been absolutely perfect.


End file.
